Sooraj Barjatya reveals what went wrong with Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, he admits 'sensationalizing' romance | Exclusive

Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya feels 'top of the world' after the reception of his OTT debut series, Bada Naam Karenge (BNK). Amid the success, Sooraj doesn't shy away from admitting his mistakes. In a recent exclusive interaction with DNA India, Sooraj reflects his views on the reaction he got for his series, the reason why he cracked a family-drama for digital platform, and also opened up about his misjudgement for Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. 

Sooraj was taken aback with BNK's response

Ask him the reaction he is coming across for Bada Naam Karenge, and with a smile, Sooraj replies, "I'm flattered. I'm experiencing the same joy that I felt after the release of Maine Pyar Kiya (Sooraj's directorial debut), where I was taken aback with the kind of appreciation and success. The reviews, the reaction I've been getting from small towns, the calls I'm receiving at 2 am from ladies, elders, and family members, amazed me. This shows that the audience was waiting for such a content piece as well." 

Sooraj on people doubting his show being unfit for OTT

Sooraj makes an interesting revelation that he had the concept of BNK from 2013, and it was for a film. However, years later, he revived the project, but as a web show. The director of Hum Aapke Hain Koun also admits that there were people who doubted his stake in OTT. "Before the pandemic, there were people who said that I'm taking a risk (by producing this show). However, after the pandemic, I met so many people who asked for 'family friendly' content on OTT. A majority of homes have a firestick now, and they were looking for a show that they can watch with family members. So that's how I was charged to bring this out," he adds. 

Sooraj being tensed for Bada Naam Karenge's kiss scene

Bada Naam Karenge also include a small-but-cute kiss moment between the leads,  Ritik Ghanshani and Ayesha Kaduskar. This scene was a rarity, as Rajshri never encourages such intimate romantic moments. Ask Sooraj if he was nervous during the shooting of this scene, and he confesses, "Yes, when they were filming this scene, I was in my office, thinking all day 'what are they doing'. Mera aadha dimaag wohi tha. When this scene was discussed, at first I asked Palash (Vaswani, director) 'Yeh zaroori hai kya?' Palash emphasised that it's a script requirement. So, after they shot, he showed me the scene in the edit, and I was relieved with how beautifully it was shot. 
 
Sooraj Barjatya on getting flacked for 'sentionlsiing' romance 

Sooraj reveals that the reason he was dubious about adding the kiss scene in the show was his own experience. Sooraj admits that he tried to shed Rajshri's basic barometer of romance, and went ahead with Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. But, his experiment received huge criticism. Sooraj says, "Maine Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon mein kiya tha yeh, and I got a lot of flack for it. I realised I did not capture romance poetically, because somewhere around I wanted to sensationalise these things, and I got flack for the same. But credit goes to Palash for doing it with dignity." Sooraj's production Bada Naam Karenge is streaming on Sony Liv.